Larkhill ASSI

Larkhill is a special place because of its Earth Science interest. The area provides access to important geological features.

The exposures are mainly found in old pits that were once used by the Belleek Pottery, and as natural outcrops of rock.

The rocks are some of the oldest in Northern Ireland; they are from the Precambrian period of Earth history and are over 1000 million years old. They were originally sand and mud rocks laid down at the bottom of an ocean.

Since they formed, the rocks have been changed by heat and pressure twice, but they still show some of their original features.

Another special feature is the mineral veins of found at the site. These are the youngest features as they cut across the older rocks, and formed from the last remains of an igneous intrusion. At Larkhill, the veining is over three metres wide in some places.

The most common mineral in the veins is a type of feldspar easily spotted by its pink colour. It is the feldspars that the Belleek Pottery was using. Other minerals such as quartz and mica are also present in abundance.